A Harrowing Story...

Posted 15/4/2014
Remember we all have legal duites while at work If your unsure contact us at Harris Safety Solutions Ltd A maintenance worker has been jailed for four years for the manslaughter of a two-year-old girl who fell to her death from an apart...ment building, police have confirmed. Robert Warner, 45, removed a glass panel from a fourth-floor barrier at the North Bank flats in central Sheffield, leaving a gap through which Ryaheen Banimuslem plunged. Warner, of Shirehall Crescent, Shiregreen, Sheffield, denied a single charge of manslaughter by gross negligence but was found guilty by a jury today on its fourth day of deliberations. The jury heard how Ryaheen strayed along a walkway to the gap in the barrier while she was playing in a garden area on the fourth floor with her family. Prosecutors explained how Warner had removed a glass panel to replace another in a different part of the barrier. Ryaheen's mother, Ola Al Fatle, sobbed in the witness box during the trial as she recalled the moment she realised her daughter had plunged to her death. Miss Fatle told Sheffield Crown Court how she searched for Ryaheen when she realised she had strayed away from the garden where she had been playing with her brother on June 27, 2012.

Miss Fatle said other residents of the North Bank flats, in Sheffield city centre, called her over and she saw her daughter had fallen.
She explained to the jury how she lived with her family on the eighth floor of the block and they used the fourth-floor communal garden from time-to-time. Miss Fatle told the jury how Ryaheen was born in Iraq but the family moved to the UK in 2011 as her father, Hikmat Banimuslem, was studying for a PhD in material physics at Sheffield University. After today's verdict, Mark Auty, specialist prosecutor in the CPS Special Crime Division, said: "This terrible incident was caused by Robert Warner removing a glass panel from a fourth floor walkway of a residential apartment block. "In order to replace a damaged panel in the garden area of the apartments, he deliberately removed a panel from a less obvious place, leaving an unprotected gap through which two-year-old Ryaheen Banimuslem tragically fell to her death. "Robert Warner took no steps to prevent access to the gap in the panels and did nothing to warn others of the danger. Although he did not intend to cause the death of a child, today's verdict has found that it is because of his gross negligence, and the obvious dangers he created, that Ryaheen is no longer with us. "Our thoughts are with Ryaheen's family at this time." South Yorkshire Police said the jury found Warner guilty by a majority. Detective Inspector Sean Bird, who lead the investigation, said: "This was a tragic incident which could so easily have been avoided. "This has been a highly unusual investigation. In my 23 years of policing, I have never known a case like this. "The guilty verdict of gross negligence manslaughter today will be of little comfort to Ryaheen's family, but I hope that the decision allows them to move forward from this very painful chapter in their lives. "I would like to pay tribute to Ryaheen's family who have shown tremendous strength throughout this protracted investigation and to the team of dedicated officers and specialists who have worked tirelessly to bring this case to a conclusion. "I would also like to thank the people who came forward throughout the course of this investigation to offer their help and support." Ryaheen's parents have said they do not wish to comment.

Cookie Policy

This site uses cookies to store information on your computer.

Do you accept?